Atlanta Falcons quarterback Joey Harrington is sacked by New York Giants' Antonio Pierce in the second quarter of a football game Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis) (Associated Press)

(Newser)
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The Atlanta Falcons scored first last night before dropping the ball (literally and figuratively) in a disheartening 31-10 loss to the New York Giants. The Falcons held a 10-7 lead for three minutes in the first quarter, but dropped passes and sacks kept them off the board from then on. The Giants offense was hot and cold as usual, Newsday reports.

New York's defense posted four sacks of Atlanta's Joey Harrington, while Eli Manning was taken down just once and split two interceptions with two touchdowns. Although the Giants outdistanced the hapless Falcons, 491 yards to 284, and controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes, their three turnovers and a lackluster third quarter kept the victory from being absolute.